Facts about Eastern Green Mamba
The Eastern green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps), is a large mostly arboreal and highly venomous snake found in the coastal regions of East and South Africa. Their range stretches from the Eastern Cape in South Africa through Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Eastern Zimbabwe Malawi.
The species can be found in coastal lowland tropical rainforests, coastal bush lands, dunes, and montane forest at elevations up to 4,900 ft (1,500 m) above sea level.
The eastern green mamba is mostly arboreal, meaning it lives in trees, only on rare occasions will it descend to the ground to forage, drink or bask in the sun. Because of its coloration, it's very well camouflaged in trees or bushes, for that reason it prefers relatively dense vegetation.
Like the other mambas the eastern green mamba belongs to the genus Dendroaspis of the family Elapidae, and was first described in 1849 by Dr. Andrew Smith a Scottish surgeon and zoologist. They are the smallest of the recognized 4 species of mambas.
Their generic name "Dendroaspis" derives from Ancient Greek and translates literally to tree snake. This refers to the arboreal nature of the majority of the snake species within the genus, the exception being their fearsome cousin the Black mamba.
The eastern Green mamba specific name "angusticeps" derives from the Latin and literally means "long narrow head" referring to the species particular shape of the head. They are also commonly known as the East African green mamba, or simply green mamba.
